The role and the strategic capacity of local actors, the commitment to collaborate and coordinate actions towards the design of a "shared future” represent key elements of development processes rooted in local contexts in which the differences should be exploited as opportunities rather than being considered barriers. This is the condition for the development of strong relationships between regions and communities. There is the need to design development strategies with multi-dimensional character, able to capture the different dimensions - cognitive, social and governance, infrastructure, ecosystem - that create the "territorial capital" and that allow communities to address global challenges, increasing their ability to adapt to economic, social and environmental changes.

It is essential for local actors to have the ability to develop knowledge and skills to promote regional partnerships based on integrated policies and to be able to developing their own human, environmental and institutional resources.

Objectives

Sharing concepts and ideas on sustainable local development based on comparison of local experiences form Trentino and Latin America, looking for new strategic syntheses.

Providing tools for reading and understanding the selected local experiences from Latin America and Europe, identifying and analysing the lesson learned with respect to the development of dynamics of local development based on the existing territorial capital.

Establish and experiment with an international common platform, based on ICT, which enhances the efficiency, effectiveness and extent of exchange of knowledge and experiences about local development.

Issues and contents

The 2013 Summer School is organised around the understanding and acknowledgment of the factors which contribute to build local development strategies, stating from the concept of “territorial capital” and its dimensions:

Cognitive capital.

Social capital.

Eco-systemic capital.

Infrastructure capital.

These represent a cross-disciplinary approach to the characteristics of a territory necessary in any local context to enable it to build its own strategy for sustainable economic, social, environmental and institutional development.

The Summer School is based on active exchange of experiences and multi-stakeholder dialogue. The case study presented in the on-line registration form should be considered as background for the working groups during the course.

Participants

Should be committed to the topic of local development, coming from or with working experiences in public institutions (local, provincial or regional governments, development agencies, research centres, International Organisations) or private organisations (foundations, co-operatives, NGOs, etc.) active in the field of local, economic, social and community development.

Should be nationals and have residency, at the time of their application, in one of the countries of Latin America.

A case study (project, programme or initiative currently implemented or recently being completed – no more than 5 years- which is directly related to the applicant’s professional experience).

The Summer School is organised in co-operation with EAFIT University from Medellin (Colombia) to which were reserved 50% of the 30 places available. The selection process of applicants from other entities is therefore for 15 places and is open to candidates from all countries of Latin America. The organisers will to secure a balanced and varied classroom composition.

DEADLINES

The deadline for completing the on-line registration process is the 5 of April 2013 at 24.00 (Italian time).

The selection process will be finalised by the 22 of April 2013.

The participation will be considered confirmed once the registration fee will be received by the organisers and with the deadline of 6 of May 2013.

The Summer School will take place from Monday 15 to Friday 26 of July 2013 included.